California Chrome and Candy Boy, the two favorites for next Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Derby, had their final major drills Saturday morning for their highly anticipated meeting, California Chrome working four furlongs at his Los Alamitos headquarters in :46 2/5 under regular rider Victor Espinoza, and Candy Boy going six furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:11 4/5 under regular rider Gary Stevens.

U.S. Triple Crown nominee Toast of New York proved that he's much more than a Wolverhampton wonder when running out a commanding winner of Saturday's Group 2, $2 million U.A.E. Derby. Justifying trainer Jamie Osborne's lofty opinion of him, Michael Buckley's colorbearer tracked the pace before storming 2 1/2 lengths clear in his stakes debut, and earned 100 points toward a possible tilt at the Kentucky Derby.

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred In Tune captured her stakes debut in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Oaks after a stretch-long duel with Davona Dale runner-up House Rules. The pair duked it out through the lane, with In Tune just getting her neck in front on the line to move her career record to an unbeaten three-for-three.

Social Inclusion is set to van north to Aqueduct for next Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial after breezing four furlongs in :46 4/5 seconds on Saturday over Gulfstream Park's fast dirt. The move was the second-quickest of 51 at the distance.

Trainer Gary Contessa seemed pleased with what he saw physically and mentally on Friday morning after $1 million Wood Memorial hopeful Uncle Sigh had an easy gallop around Belmont Park's training track, his second day back after a six-furlong work in 1:15 on Tuesday.

Javier Castellano has had a pretty good winter. He captured his first Eclipse Award as champion jockey, set a North American record for single-season purse earnings, and broke his own record in becoming just the second rider to claim three consecutive Champions meet titles at Gulfstream Park.

When Wildcat Red takes his place in the starting gate Saturday for the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, he will carry the hopes of a pair of small-scale operations on the road to the Triple Crown.

Among the chief contenders in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks is House Rules, who will be making her fifth start of the Champions Meet for owner Joseph V. Shields Jr. and trainer Allen Jerkens.

California Chrome's Kentucky Derby Express continued to gain steam when the California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit was listed as the 5-1 morning-line favorite in Churchill Downs' fourth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pool that opened at 9 a.m. Thursday and runs until 3 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday.

Who would have thought the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year's Day would prove to be such a formful race?

That's exactly what has happened, though, as the top three from that contest -- General a Rod, Wildcat Red and East Hall -- line back up on Saturday in the 63rd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

The final round of major preps, a three-week window consisting of seven races worth a total of 170 points apiece (100-40-20-10 scale), begins this Saturday and it's important to note that winning isn't everything -- six of the last 13 Kentucky Derby victors dropped their last start.

Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Oaks lost its favorite when Davona Dale and Forward Gal winner Onlyforyou fatally broke down in a recent workout. Trainer Todd Pletcher will instead send out the promising but untested In Tune in the 1 1/8-mile test.

Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks drew only a field of five but there is plenty of excitement surrounding the 1 1/16-mile event due to the presence of Untapable and Unbridled Forever, who will meet for the first time.

Cairo Prince romped in his January 25 sophomore debut in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, sweeping around horses on the turn and drawing off to an easy 5 3/4-length victory. While demonstrating an abundant amount of class, talent and professionalism, the gray son of Pioneerof the Nile left Gulfstream fans wanting to see more.

The field for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby looks very much like the one that contested last month's Risen Star, the main prep for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile signature event of the Fair Grounds meet.

Saturday's Group 2, $2 million U.A.E. Derby offers 100 points to the winner toward the Kentucky Derby, and Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has dispatched Triple Crown nominees Giovanni Boldini and Sir John Hawkins to Dubai in pursuit of his third straight win in this race.

Fans Following Video Series Can Enter to Win Dream Trip to Churchill Downs to Attend the 2015 ‘Run for the Roses’

LOUISVILLE, KY (Monday, March 24, 2014) – Churchill Downs® is offering online and social media fans an inside and up-close look at the top stories of the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, its star horses and the people behind them through a new series of videos available on the Kentucky Derby Channel on YouTube – and one lucky viewer will win a trip for two to the 2015 running of America’s greatest race.

The video series celebrates the 2014 Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by TwinSpires.com, the point system that determines the eligibility of horses to compete in the maximum field of 20 3-year-old Thoroughbreds that will enter the starting gate for the big race at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3. Along with the Road to the Kentucky Derby videos hosted by Churchill Downs racing analyst Jill Byrne, visitors to the Kentucky Derby channel at www.youtube.com/user/kentuckyderby can also enjoy videos of past runnings of the Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks, other related content and an opportunity to win that dream trip to next year’s “Run for the Roses.”

As part of the celebration of the official launch of the gripping and colorful video series on the YouTube channel, Churchill Downs will kick off the Road to the Kentucky Derby Giveaway, which will award one lucky prize winner a trip for two to the Louisville track for the 2015 running of the Derby.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by TwinSpires.com, now in its second year, is a series of 34 prep races in which horses can pick up points through a top-four finish that count toward their eligibility to run in the classic American race. The series began in September and is now in its Championship Series phase, with several of its races in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby awarding 100 points and a guaranteed spot in the Derby starting gate to their winners.

“The compelling stories offered by the Road to the Kentucky Derby video series provides a wonderful opportunity for fans to get to know some of the most fascinating horses and people that are part of this year’s Kentucky Derby drama and easily share those stories with friends and family through social media,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “The Kentucky Derby is special in so many ways, and spectacular images and compelling stories offered in the Road to the Kentucky Derby video series will help viewers and fans take their Derby experience to new levels.”

The 2014 Road to the Kentucky Derby video series launches today with five Byrne-hosted videos spotlighting focused on recent Derby prep races and racing stars who have emerged in those events. Additional videos will be added in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby as the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series nears its climactic finish with the determination of the field for this year’s Derby.

“There is no sport that offers a better combination of color, beauty and unique personalities than Thoroughbred racing, and the dream of every person in our sport is to win the Kentucky Derby,” said Byrne, the daughter of a trainer who has spent most of her life in racing. “The lives and stories of people who care for these beautiful and talented horses are endlessly fascinating, but few fans get the opportunity experience that part of the racing world first-hand. I’m excited because the Road to the Kentucky Derby series delivers them behind the scenes to experience the beauty, drama and emotion that are part of the ‘Derby Dream’ and the quest to earn an opportunity for a young horse to compete in the biggest race of them all.”

The Road to the Kentucky Derby video series launches with a series introduction and five initial episodes on the Kentucky Derby YouTube Channel and more will be added regularly.

Videos currently available include:

Kentucky Derby 140: Road to the Kentucky Derby Introduction

Kentucky Derby 140: Ep. 1 - Breeders' Cup 2013 at Santa Anita

Kentucky Derby 140: Ep. 2 - Hollywood Parties and Powerful Ponies

Kentucky Derby 140: Ep. 3 - Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of Jockey Mike Smith

Kentucky Derby 140: Ep. 4 - Overcoming Katrina to make it to the Kentucky Derby

Fans following the Road to Kentucky Derby video series on YouTube can enter to win a free trip to the 2015 Kentucky Derby by participating in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Giveaway at www.KentuckyDerby.com/giveaway. Fans can enter by visiting the Kentucky Derby Channel on YouTube and start with Episode 5 to find a special entry code that can be used to enter the contest. Each new video added to the Road to the Kentucky Derby series on the YouTube channel will include a new entry code, which will allow fans to enter multiple times.

Fans can also earn additional contest entry codes by following the Kentucky Derby via social media and email. Entry codes will be given out on the Kentucky Derby’s Facebook page, Twitter (@KentuckyDerby), Pinterest, Instagram and email. Fans can sign up or the latter at www.KentuckyDerby.com/signups. Each separate contest code is good for one contest entry. For more information on the contest, go to www.KentuckyDerby.com/giveaway.

Seven Championship Series Races Remaining

As of March 24, There are seven races remaining in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, including Florida Derby, March 29 at Gulfstream Park (FL); UAE Derby, March 29 at Meydan (Dubai, EAU); Louisiana Derby, March 29 at Fair Grounds (LA); Santa Anita Derby, April 5 at Santa Anita Park (CA); Wood Memorial, April 5 at Aqueduct (NY); Arkansas Derby, April 12 at Oaklawn Park (AR); Bluegrass, April 12 at Keeneland (KY); and one wildcard race, the Lexington, April 19 at Keeneland.

About Churchill Downs Racetrack

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2012, and its Spring Meet is scheduled for April 26-June 29. The track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.

About the Road to the Kentucky Derby

Established in 2013, The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a qualifying point system for the 2013 Kentucky Derby featuring 34 stakes races overall, with the most important being the 16 marquee events for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in the final 10 weeks leading up to the first Saturday in May known as the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. The top 20 horses with the most points will be eligible for a maximum field of 20 horses that will compete in the 140th running the of America’s greatest race on Saturday, May 3.

With just under six weeks to go until the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), the fourth and final pool of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) will open Thursday, March 27 with fast-rising West Coast star California Chrome (#5) as the narrow favorite over East Coast hero Cairo Prince (#4).